Nurse-Family Partnership Training: Empowering Families for Healthy Beginnings

For people who lack adequate finances and exposure to education, pregnancy and childcare can become difficult situations. Nurse family partnerships (NFPs) may offer well-needed and appreciated assistance.

Identification

• Childcare and maternity are the principle focus of NFPs. Training for nurses in this field places special emphasis on public health experience and exposure. Often, NFP programs center upon a particular client or family for the first two years of the child's life so nurses must be proficient in early childhood pediatric knowledge as well as care for expectant mothers.

Types

• Training may be comprised of distance and face-to-face learning. The nurse is instructed through both observation as well as immersion with the families in question to develop their communication tools. They may also regularly attend conferences where they and their peers exchange and discuss varied, case-related experiences.

Function

• Since the goal of a NFP is to nurture and encourage familial relationships, the training for nurses is geared toward shaping responsive and open individuals. They are to provide a crucial therapeutic service, so these nurses must exude confidence and skill as well as compassion.